The new old Tokyo
The bright, racing, digital, 12 million person metropolis of Tokyo has gone all quiet and traditional. Tiny, obscured bars buried in dark alleyways behind nondescript doors are inviting small numbers of trusted patrons to quiet nights of reserved nightlife, and right now a word of mouth invitation to a small, basic bar is the hottest ticket in this technology-obsessed city. Recounted through a fine piece of travel writing Julia Chaplin of The Times strayed far from the well-trodden tourist grid and experienced the secretive, whispered nightlife chosen by Tokyo’s socialites and former party set. Embracing tradition and finding respite from an always-on connected lifestyle, Tokyo’s fashionistas, artists and designers are secretively guarding their new-found nightspots to enjoy quiet conversation and quality company in a more homely atmosphere than the more common western-style nightclubs and bars. A welcome change in Tokyo, the trend is unique in a global context – particularly in comparison to the fluorescent new rave invasion in London. [artwork by Hirofu ISO / Komainu]
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Also by ANDY
Struth! We’re now stocking the beautifully designed and overtly Australian range of products by Aussie illustrator, Eamo. Perfect for those of us living abroad, who miss the taste of Vegemite and the smell of the beach, or those whose fleeting connection with the big brown land has left them longing for more.
We’re now stocking your creations
Our online store has been kicking along nicely for a while now, featuring prints by Andy Smith [pictured], tees by Das Monk and jewellery by This Charming Man to name a few. We have visitors from all across the globe and some of our pieces have been racing out the virtual door faster than we imagined possible. Aw, shucks! Now it’s your turn. If you design, create, or distribute products and artwork that fits with our style, and you’d like to see your goodies stocked on our shelves in time for Christmas, drop us a note introducing yourself and we’ll take it from there. Psst … we’re planning some Christmas gift ideas and subscriber offers too. We reckon you’ll like them.
The knuckle sandwich charm necklace by This Charming Man features two pieces of bread on either side of a tiny set of brass knuckle dusters. Rad huh? Get yours now for $140.
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Sebastiaan Bremer’s drawings are some of the most stunning artworks I have seen recently. Words do fail. Read more
This café, cookie shop, ice cream place in Cobble Hill Brooklyn is all about flavor, aroma and family. Their cookies and ice cream are absolutely to-die-for, and the place is so well-designed, painted in vintage colors with old family pictures printed on the walls, that you’ll want to indulge yourself for more than just a few minutes. Try their Whoopies and Lucia cookies. They’re my favourite.
Eik Ottosen, the hot Danish model has created Rubber Duck shoes. His Los Drillos come in just about every color and are super comfy and affordable. Read more
Hello, my name is Zolton and I’m a non-dancer. That’s right, a non-dancer. I choose not to dance for the mental welfare of others, though my inability to shake and roll with the best of them can probably be traced back to the Id, the Ego; that darn voice that sits somewhere at the back of my head and reminds me that any inclination to hurl myself about the dancefloor will not go down well in public. So I choose not to. Heck … it’s my party and I’ll sit quietly and observe if I want to. Read more
UK music journalist Everett True comes from the Nick Kent school of writing: live the life and hope to come out the other end with one hell of a story. And he has. In this case, the story of Kurt Cobain and Nirvana. In this exclusive piece, he talks about his association with Seattle’s finest and his friendship with the perennially troublesome Courtney Love. Read more
This interview with James Lavelle gives a fascinating window into the making of the latest UNKLE opus, End Titles, Stories for Film.
The frontman for Sydney trailblazers, Paper Scissors, has just dropped his first solo EP under the alias of Pork Pies, and it’s an absolute beaut. Like the Paper Scissors’ more low-key numbers, there’s a real feeling of raw nostalgia running through the record. Jai Pyne’s distinctive vocals linger on your eardrums for a while after they’ve ceased, anchored down by a poignancy and sense of longing.
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1970s and 80s Soviet Union buildings
Cambodian born photographer Frederic Chaubin is the editor of French magazine Citizen K. His photo series on bizarre buildings built in the former Soviet Union during the 1970s and 80s is absolutely fascinating. Read more
Italian-born, New York City-based photographer Paolo Ventura creates fairy-tale like pictures out of amazingly constructed, miniature dioramas that almost trick the eye into thinking he’s a tilt-shift photographer. Read more
Alex Passapera’s dizzying pen and ink drawings are cascades of images melting into one another, often looking like contorting, mutating creatures spewing blood-like ink splatters. Read more
With the recession still biting, it may be time to whip out the glue and the cardboard and make your next pair of cool kicks. Don’t know how they’d manage in the rain though? Read more
I live the upbeat, feel good tempo of the new single — A Hundred Hearts — from Philly group, The Swimmers. Off their latest album, People Are Soft, this song is a strangely fitting anthem for the blustery day outside.
Thanks to Sony Australia, four Lost At E Minor readers will win personal audio prizes, including the new 8GB Walkman S series video MP3 player and the MDRXB500 Extra Bass headphones. Read more
From an artist selection of t-shirts comes this limited edition David Bray illustrated silkscreened tee, distributed in a vinyl sleeve with a biography of the artist on the back of the sleeve. Every t-shirt is numbered and signed by the artist, and comes in organic American Apparel cotton. We like! Read more
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Chuck F said | 28 June, 2007
This has alwayls been true in Japan, Clubs are mainly for the 25 and under crowd. Everybody else just goes out drinking at small bars, the drinking culture in Japan is intense.
Nothing new to see here really, just the article entirely misinterpeting things. There are very very few hipster exclusive bars, most of the time it’s just the bar you’ve been going to for awhile or is near a spot you like. Exclusive in the case she writes would be like finding a mom and pap bar in some low-pedesterian area in NY.
The fact she even mentions Le Baron as being some exclusive hipster place is laughable, it’s just Roppongi for people that are in Tokyo longer then a month and recently has next to zero Japanese in it.